This invention relates to drug delivery vehicles. More particularly, this invention relates to a drug delivery vehicle that mimics viral properties, such as size, possession of a capsid-like protein capsule, cell-specific entry, toxin release, destruction of infected cells, and migration to neighboring cells.
Viruses infect specific cells within host organisms, replicate, destroy the cells, and spread from cell to cell in infectious cycles, causing diseases. S. S. Whitehead et al., Prospects for a dengue virus vaccine, 5 Nat. Rev. Microbiol. 518-528 (2007). These viral properties have inspired synthetic designs of various delivery vehicles, particularly for toxic anticancer agents that exhibit numerous side effects. Y. Geng et al., Shape effects of filaments versus spherical particles in flow and drug delivery, 2 Nat. Nanotechnol. 249-255 (2007); Z. Huang et al., Thiocholesterol-based lipids for ordered assembly of bioresponsive gene carriers, 11 Mol. Ther. 409-417 (2005); D. Putnam, Polymers for gene delivery across length scales, 5 Nat. Mater. 439-451 (2006). Drug delivery vehicles may mimic certain aspects of viruses, such as size, Y. Sasaki, Cerasome as an infusible and cell-friendly gene carrier: synthesis of cerasome-forming lipids and transfection using cerasome, 1 Nat. Protocols 1227-1234 (2006), and surface properties, Z. Huang et al., supra, to improve cell entry and residence within the body before being cleared.
While prior drug delivery vehicles are known and are generally suitable for their limited purposes, they possess certain inherent deficiencies that detract from their overall utility in drug delivery.
In view of the foregoing, it will be appreciated that providing a drug delivery vehicle that mimics viral size, capsid-like protein capsule, cell-specific entry, toxin release, destruction of infected cells, and migration to neighboring cells would be a significant advancement in the art.